The Beaded Life - Mother and Daughter

When you educate a man you educate an individual; when you educate a woman you educate a generation – African Proverb

This journey has been about not only Beaded Souls, but about Brenda and Faida, two mothers, two daughters, two wives, two Spelman alumna…our likeness as stark as our differences. Through this complexity, there’s been a stabilizing force that has kept us moving forward and that is our strength as educated women with so much to offer and share with the world. That grounding force is not tangible, but is a nurturing and enduring “education” passed on to us through our lineage of mothers seen and unseen. When we started Beaded Souls just a few months ago, we knew we were taking a plunge. Not just because of the uncertainty of business, but the uncertainty within ourselves. The idea of a mother and daughter starting a business brings with it decades of history. How would we ensure that we were equals and remain in a space of loving and giving?

The beauty of the bead work that we bring to the public forced us to move on what was a thought, a dream, something we talked about all the time, but did not yet see as a reality, but here we are healing ourselves and others through the beauty of African "wearable art". There is a look of delight when we know that our products have touched someone and that fuels everything we do.

As we take stock of our first season and move into the next, we are humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response. Through the support of all of our Beaded Souls, we have connected with and shared our products with customers across the U.S. We’ve taken feedback and acted upon it. We’ve modified in many ways to make customer satisfaction a priority while our hearts remain focused on the joy factor that the products induce. “Ooo, I love these!” is music to our ears!!! And, we hear this all the time.

Our new collection is here and we are excited to share our apparel and bracelets (plus a few other things we’ll hold back for the suspense). What’s even more exciting is that we will be debuting and selling our latest products at the 2017 Spelman homecoming weekend! What better way to celebrate the success of our new business than to celebrate with our Spelman sisters and the greater AUC community?

Beaded Souls is so much more than a business venture. It is a beautiful partnership that continues to unfold and reach women and men of diverse backgrounds allowing them to embrace and enjoy what we call “wearable art”. Our experience as business partners and as mother and daughter demonstrate the African proverb “when you educate a woman you educate a generation.” We look forward to connecting more generations through the creative expression of our handmade beaded collections.